You Idiot
by Lady Dudley
Summary: Epilogue for 'Apocalypse': Michael shares a moment with his brother. Implied M/J.


**A/N: I was chatting with beautywithin22 recently about the episode "Apocalypse" which we both recently re-watched and was inspired. This is based on her observation that it was weird that we didn't see any Ian and Michael follow-up. Also, I realise that the episode implies there's only Ian and Michael, but my head canon has always been that there's an older brother and also a sister in the Jardine family. So, I went with that for this instead - anyways, h** **ope you enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

 ** _You Idiot_**

Ian stared at his brother in shock, "What happened to you?"

"Apparently I was chosen to be the sign of the last plague," Michael replied with a grimace as he wiped some of the blood off his face.

Ian blinked, "But you're not even the firstborn son."

Michael shot him a look, "I'm fine, thanks."

It was Ian's turn to grimace, "I'm sorry, Mike." He paused, "For everything," he added seriously.

Michael regarded him for a long moment, "Me too."

Ian smiled and held out his hand, he was pleasantly surprised when Michael used it to pull him into a hug. "You idiot," Michael muttered affectionately and Ian blinked back sudden tears as the words brought back memories of similar scenes over the years.

Despite not being the eldest of the Jardine brothers, Michael had been the brother that Ian idolised. The one that he went to when he was having problems at school or with their parents or, occasionally, with a girl.

Michael had always been there to listen, to give advice or to stick up for him when the bullies in his class gave him a hard time.

To this day he could remember the relief he'd felt when he'd looked up to see his big brother come striding purposefully across the schoolyard.

It had been similar to the relief he'd felt when he'd shown up, soaking wet, on his brother's doorstep two nights ago. Michael had taken him in and done his best to help him, even when he'd been ungrateful and more than a little bit difficult.

Ian was brought out of his musings by a pat on his back, the well-established male signal for a hug to come to an end. For a brief moment, he thought about not letting go, but he settled for a final squeeze as they stepped back.

"Can I stay with you tonight?" Ian asked, suddenly desperate to regain his brother's protection and, more importantly, his affection.

Michael rolled his eyes in fond exasperation and Ian found himself smiling again, pleased that he hadn't burnt _all_ of his bridges after all. "I mean, you might have concussion, someone should keep an eye on you," he couldn't resist teasing.

Michael shook his head with an amused smile, "Right, because _you're_ the responsible one."

"Stranger things have happened," Ian countered.

Michael sobered, "Indeed."

Ian bit his lip, dropping his gaze, "I didn't mean…"

Michael stopped him with a cuff on the shoulder, "Forget it, you're my brother," he explained as Ian looked up, "you don't have to explain yourself to me." He shrugged, "I know you're an idiot."

Any response Ian would have given was cut off by the appearance of the dark haired, woman detective at Michael's side.

"What happened to you?" she asked, her dark eyes betraying her real anxiety as she scanned Michael's face.

Ian raised an eyebrow as his brother turned to her, looking decidedly more dejected than he had a moment ago.

"Apparently I was to be the victim of the final plague," Michael explained as the woman made an abortive move to touch his face.

She glanced at Ian who got the hint, "Excuse me," he said, with a small bow of his head, "I should see how the others are doing." He caught Michael's eye, "I assume I'll still be seeing you later?" he asked, Michael shot him a dark look and Ian swallowed a smile as he walked away.

He had every intention of checking on his fellow worshippers, but he stopped short as he suddenly recalled the female detective's name. Despite not seeing his brother for a long time, _Jackie Reid_ was a very familiar name. In fact, there'd been a time when he'd heard her name so often that he actually thought they were an item but his brother had firmly denied it.

He turned around slowly to watch them, unsurprised to find that the pair were now standing even closer and in the middle of an intimate conversation as Jackie gently tipped Michael's face to assess his injury.

He grinned as he watched Jackie drag his brother – who looked very much like he was enjoying the attention – over to a nearby ambulance. He shook his head, "Just friends my arse," he muttered as he continued on his way.

When he next caught a glimpse of the two detectives they were sitting in the back of the ambulance, Michael had his arm around Jackie and she was clutching his hand tightly.

"Just kiss her Mike," he mumbled as he caught the intense look on his brother's face as he regarded the woman beside him. He pursed his lips as the moment between the pair passed, it appeared that (for once) his brother was the one in need of some advice.

...

 **A/N: I like to think that Ian and Michael have a talk which then leads into 'Safe' which is my Michael/Jackie epilogue for this episode.**


End file.
